Switzerland. Standard season, no experiments. The last two teams in the Second Division were so weak, they collectively earned less than half the points the 14th placed had: FC Monthey – 4 points, FC Yverdon – 9 points, but FC Mendrisio – 28 points. Up the table – nothing much, even no dramatic race for the top two places, giving promotion to the top league.
FC Baden finished 2nd with 40 points. Promotion to First Division was their biggest success to date and they were going to join the best for the first time next season.
FC Grenchen topped FC Baden and finished the season as Second Division champions. They also had 40 points, but better goal-difference clinched the title – a big success for the small club.
First Division mirrored the second level to a point: two outsiders, so relegation was settled early, and two teams significantly stronger than the others, although the champions pulled ahead and finished with comfortable cushion.
FC Winterthur – last with 13 points. Going down. Top row from left: Christian Schleiffer, Jakob Weidmann, Urs Egli, Uwe Rapolder, Vittorio Bevilacqua, Daniel Haefeli, Hans Franz, Christian Graf.
Middle row: Paul Kilgus (Teambetreuer), Rafael Chèlos, Roger Zimmermann, Dario Zuffi, Reto Arrigoni, André von Niederhäusern, Kevin Streule, Manuel Lopez, Adi Noventa (Trainer).
Sitting: Iwan Csiatare, Peter Leu, Markus Bachmann, Walter Christinger, Ricardo Chèlos, Daniel Bamert, Thomas Unseld.
SC Zug was 15th with 14 points and also relegated.
FC La Chaux-de-Fonds – 14th with 24 points. No trouble, but they had to do something, if wanting to stay in the league – nobody can guarantee them outsiders every next season.
Vevey-Sports – 13th with 24 points. Same, as La Chaux-de-Fonds.
FC Luzern – 12th with 26 points.
FC Wettingen – 11th with 26 points.
Lausanne-Sports – 10th with 29 points.
BSC Young Boys – 9th with 30 points.
FC Basel – 8th with 31 points. In decline, but given the history of the club, a temporary decline for sure.
FC Zurich – 7th with 31 points. Similar to Basel and also expected to recover quickly. Perhaps Vaclav Jezek was no longer up to contemporary coaching.
Grasshopper – 6th with 32 points. Like Basel and Zurich, so it was temporary flop, but also the three teams illustrated the general state of Swiss football – no team was able to amass really strong squad and foreign recruits tended to be at their last legs.
FC Sion – 5th with 36 points.
FC St. Gallen – 4th with 37 points. Good season for them, but not particularly great squad – their most famous player was the former Czechoslvak national team defender Ladislav Jurkemik, who, like the key players of Basel, Zurich, and Grasshopper was getting dangerously old.
Xamax FC was perhaps the most promising Swiss team at the moment – they climbed to 3rd place with 39 points, but they were also expected to get stronger and real title contender.
FC Aarau finished 2nd with 42 points. A title contenders for awhile, although more driven by enthusiasm than real power. Having their best season ever, though.
FC Servette (Geneve) managed to pull ahead of Aarau and finished 1st with 46 points. 19 wins, 8 ties, 3 losses, 71-28 goal-difference. They were the strongest, no arguing against that, and the most balanced squad this year. Well deserved 15th title and their first after 1979.